Rope guide and retainer for knot tying device



Dec. 8, 1959 G. w. ARCHER ET AL 2,916,316

ROPE GUIDE AND RETAINER FOR KNOT TYING DEVICE Filed Sept. 10, 1958 INVENTORS Monte B. Archer BY George W. Archer United States Patent ROPE GUIDE AND RETAINER FOR KNOT TYIN G DEVICE George W. Archer, Berkeley, and Monte B. Archer, Vacaville, Califi, assignors to A-S-K Corporation, Berkeley, Calif.

Application September 10, 1958, Serial No. 760,192 9 Claims. (Cl. 289-13) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in our Remote Controlled Knot Tying Device, particularly set forth and described in United States Patent No. 2,813,736, dated November 19, 1957. More specifically the present invention relates to a rope guide and retainer mountable on the head of the knot tying device.

It is the object of this invention to provide a rope guide and retainer for use with the knot tying device which serves to releasably clip or retain rope thereon and also to assist in guiding or threading the rope.

The invention is of simple construction and operation. It may be stamp-cut or otherwise formed from spring metal or equivalent material with a minimum of waste.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference represent corresponding parts in each of the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the knot tying device showing the handle broken away and employing the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view taken at 90 to the view of Fig. 1 and showing in dotted line the upper end of the present invention raised slightly from the head portion of the knot tying device to receive a bite of rope thereunder;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the invention as disclosed in Fig. 2 and showing the guide and retainer depressed to raise its other end from the remote controlled rope tying device to receive a second bite of rope thereunder;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross section taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the knot tying device employing the present invention and showing a length of rope mounted thereon; and

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a blank for making the present invention. The knot tying device has been illustrated as including a tubular body or handle portion A which has been broken away and which may be of any desired length, and a generally hook-shaped, arcuate head portion B mounting an arcuate slide assembly C. The rope, string, twine or flexible wire strand (hereinafter generally referred to as rope) in connection with which the device is utilized is indicated generally at E. The rope guide and retainer indicated generally at F is the subject of the present invention and will be explained after a brief description of the knot tying device.

Hook-shaped head portion B is provided with a shuttle 12 and a bobbin 14. Shuttle 12 is movable toward bobbin 14 in a guide Way not illustrated. A first take-up pin 16 mounted on slidable member C limits retractable movement of member C relative to head B and also serves to take up rope as will hereinafter appear. A second take-up pin 18 mounted on head B also takes up rope.

Handle A and head B house a plurality of cooperating springs, not illustrated, which serve to maintain slidable member C and shuttle 12 in the positions illustrated. Additional means, housed by head B and not illustrtated, connect slidable member C and shuttle 12 whereby movement of the latter toward bobbin 14 projects slidable member C downwardly and inwardly until the pointed tip 20 of slidable member C contacts and depresses a trigger 22.

The remote controlled rope tying device is employed by first threading the device with rope as illustrated in Fig. 5. The operator first ties an overhand knot 13 in the standing part 11 of the rope. The bite of the overhand 13 is positioned around shuttle 12 and bobbin 14. This is effected by depressing hinged retainers 24 and 26 to expose the shuttle and bobbin. Having positioned the bite of overhand 13 as described, springs, not illustrated, return retainers 24 and 26 to the position illustrated. The running part 23 of the rope is then releasably clamped by rope guide and retainer F as will hereinafter be explained, to extend the running part 28 of rope E around the profile of head assembly B. The running end 30 is attached to the outer tip 20 of slide component C, the running part 28 having first been looped to define substantially an 8 about take-up pins 16 and 18.

With the rope threaded as described the hook-shaped head portion B is engaged or hooked to partially circumscribe the tree, limb or other body about which the noose is to be tied. The tie is then effected by sharply pulling or yanking on the standing part 11 of rope E. Tension thus applied to the rope causes overhand knot 13 to tighten and close. This in turn causes shuttle 12 to move along its guide way toward bobbin 14 and also causes slide assembly C to move from the illustrated retracted position downwardly and inwardly until it contacts and depresses trigger 22. Depression of trigger 22 operates to tilt or upset shuttle 12 and bobbin 14 releasing overhand knot 13 from engagement with the bobbin and shuttle, and the overhand closes about the knotted running end 30 of rope E.

Springs within head B then return slide assembly C and shuttle 12 and bobbin 14 to the positions illustrated and a noose is thus formed about the limb or other body.

For a more detailed description and explanation of the structure and function of the knot tying device referred to herein, reference is herein made to said US. Patent No. 2,813,736.

Rope guide and retainer F is formed from a blank of spring metal or similar material (Fig. 6) to define a leg 40 and an arcuate portion 42 depending outwardly from one end of the leg. Leg 40 is turned under arcuate portion 42 as along dotted line 44 and the outer end 46 of leg 40 is turned back to extend beyond the juncture of leg 40 and arcuate portion 42.

As viewed in side elevation and as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, turned back end 46 of leg 40 has been turned back arcuately rather than abruptly to provide a loop or knurl 48 which assists in proper positioning of the rope guide and retainer and facilitates manual spacing of end 46 from head B. Outer end 46 may also be turned out slightly to provide an additional means for spacing end 46 from the head.

Arcuate portion 42 is then caused to assume a second arc when viewed at to the plan view of the stampcut defined are previously described to form an arcuate spring member and whereby the outer end 50 terminates substantially in the plane of leg 40 and the intermediate portion of arcuate member 42 is spaced from the said. plane.

Head B has been formed with two raised portions,

portion 52 is positioned adjacent the periphery of head B and raised portion 54 is positioned immediately to the left of raised portion 52 as viewed in Fig. 1 and does not project so far from head B. Raised portion 54 is provided at its outer extremity with a semi-circular cutout or channel 56 extending parallel to a radius of arcuate head B. Raised portion 52 has been apertured to receive a pin 58 which projects laterally over the semicircular cut-out 56.

Arcuate portion 42 has been crimped proximate its outer end 50 as at 60 to correspond with channel 56 of raised portion 54 and also to correspond with the adjacent surface of pin 58.

Outer end 50 may also be crimped as illustrated to provide a smooth, non-cutting surface to engage and clamp a bite of rope.

Rope guide and retainer F is mounted on arcuate head B of the knot tying device by inserting crimped portion 60 between the channel 56 of raised portion 54 and pin 58. Pin 58 is preferably removed from raised portion 52 prior to insertion or removal of the rope guide and retainer. The aperture in raised portion 52 has been countersunk on the right hand side as viewed in Fig. 1 to receive the enlarged head 62 of pin 58 to limit movement of the pin through the aperture. The end of pin 58 as viewed to the left in Fig. 1 may be notched and provided with a spring or snap-clip 64 to secure the rope guide and retainer in position at that point.

Loop 48 engages the periphery of head B, as illustrated, to align the rope guide and retainer with the profile of the head.

In use, the present invention serves as a clip to releasably frictionally clamp rope at spaced points on the head, namely at ends 46 and 50, and also serves to guide the rope about a portion of the arcuate head.

Arcuate portion 42 intermediate ends 46 and 50 serves as a torque spring as particularly appears in Fig. 3. Depression of the intermediate arcuate portion as indicated in dotted line forces crimped portion 60 to slip downward slightly about pin 58 causing end or clip 50 to pivot outwardly from head B as shown in dotted line in Fig. 3. Thus to align and clip rope through the guide and retainer F the operator manually depresses intermediate arcuate portion 42 and inserts a first bite of rope under end or clip 50. Loop or knurl 48 is then raised or moved outwardly from head B as illustrated in dotted line in Fig. 2 and a second bite of rope is slipped under end 46. The normal spring tension of arcuate portion 42 returns ends 46 and 50 to substantial juxtaposition with head B to guide and retain the rope.

On pulling the standing end 11 of the rope to operate the knot tying device so as to form a noose about a limb or other object as described above, the tension on the rope by pulling on it will tend to straighten itself out and in so doing the rope will release itself from clamping engagement by opposite ends 46 and 50 of the guide and retainer F.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with the arcuate head of a remote controlled rope tying device a rope guide and retainer comprising a spring member; said member having a first end, a second end and an intermediate portion and defining first and second arcs disposed at substantially 90 to each other; said first arc corresponding with a portion of said arcuate head; said second are spacing said intermediate portion from said head when said ends touch said head; and means mounting said member proximate said second end whereby said ends are normally biased against said head under spring tension and whereby manual depression of the said intermediate portion of said member causes said second end to pivot about said means and outwardly from said head for insertion of a bite of rope therebetween.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first end is formed with a laterally projecting loop or knurl adapted to normally engage the periphery of said arcuate head adjacent said first end to assist in mounting said member and to facilitate manual spacing of said first end from said head for insertion of a bite of rope therebetween.

3. In combination with the head of a rope tying device of the type described, a rope guide and retainer comprising an arcuate spring member defining first and second ends and an intermediate portion, said are spacing said intermediate portion from planar surfaces of said head when said ends contact said surfaces, means mounting said intermediate portion in spaced relation to said surface whereby each end is biased against one said surface under spring tension, said means being proximate said second end whereby depression of said intermediate portion pivots said second end about said means and outwardly from said surface for insertion of a bite of rope therebetween.

4-. The combination of claim 3 wherein said first end is formed with a laterally projecting loop or knurl adapted to normally engage the periphery of said arcuate head adjacent said first end to assist in mounting said member and to facilitate manual spacing of said first end from said head for insertion of a bite of rope therebetween.

5. In combination with the arcuate head of a remote controlled rope tying device of the type described, a rope guide and retainer adapted to releasably clamp rope at spaced points on said head comprising a spring member formed from sheet metal and including first and second ends and an intermediate portion, said member defining a first are corresponding to a portion of said arcuate head when viewed in plan and a second are when viewed at thereto whereby said intermediate portion is spaced from said head when said ends contact said head with said first are aligned with said portion of said head, means mounting said intermediate portion on said head with said first arc aligned with said portion of said head, said means being positioned proximate said second end whereby depression of said intermediate portion pivots said last named end about said means and outwardly from said head for insertion of a bite of rope therebetween.

' 6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said first end 18 formed with a laterally projecting loop or knurl adapted to normally engage the periphery of said arcuate head ad acent said first end to assist in mounting said member and to facilitate manual spacing of said first end from said head for insertion of a bite of rope therebetween.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means comprises a raised portion on said head out out to define a channel extending parallel to a radius of said arcuate head, said member being crimped to engage said channel, and a pin mounted to project over said crimp to secure said member in said channel.

8. The combination of claim 3 wherein said means comprises a raised portion on said head out out to define a channel extending parallel to a radius of said arcuate head, said member being crimped to engage said channel, and a pin mounted to project over said crimp to secure said member in said channel.

9. The combination of claim 5 wherein said means comprises a raised portion on said head cut out to define a channel extending parallel to a radius of said arcuate head, said member being crimped to engage said channel, and a pin mounted to project over said crimp to secure said member in said channel.

No' references cited. 

